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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · hide · mug · cue · fork · arm · club · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cue — for pool
  5. mug — to rob
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tear — from crying
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tear — from crying
  12. band — a ring
  13. club — for golf
  14. mug — a cup
  15. tear — to rip
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mug — a face
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. club — a group
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fork — a garden tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com